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Regulator building database of aerial maps to track Oklahoma oil field activity

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission is building a database of historical aerial photographs to help track oil and natural gas activity in the state.

BY JAY F. MARKS jmarks@opubco.com •
Published: November 9, 2012

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The Oklahoma Corporation Commission is trolling through the state's past to help its oil and natural gas field inspectors do their jobs.

The agency is scanning thousands of old aerial photographs into the database its inspectors rely on to enforce environmental rules and respond to complaints from landowners, said Charles Lord, manager of the commission's underground injection control program.

Historic aerial photos allow field inspectors at the Oklahoma Corporation Commission to pinpoint oil and natural gas wells. This photo shows the area around the American Indian Cultural Center and Museum in Oklahoma City in 2010, at left, and 1941. Photos provided

Aided by grant funds from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, commission employees have been scanning old U.S. Department of Agriculture photos stored in the state library. The Oklahoma Geological Survey has contributed thousands of photos, as well.

“We've been hammering at this for a while,” Lord said.

Lord said the commission's database includes thousands of aerial photographs, some dating as far back as 1935, but there are close to 60,000 more waiting to be scanned and plotted.

“We're building a library for future use,” he said. “We'll scan until we run out of money.”

Lord said the effort has focused on counties with a lot of oil and natural gas activity.

The historical photos helped commission officials identify old wells that needed to be plugged at the site of the American Indian Cultural Center and Museum, he said.

Officials said the picture-enhanced database is simpler to use than the commission's historical records. Some of the agency's older records are only accurate to within 10 acres of the listed location.